Solar panels can convert energy from sunlight into electricity, for example, using solar cells, e.g., photovoltaic cells, which can convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect. Solar photovoltaic systems are rapidly becoming an affordable technology to harness renewable energy from the sun, leading to a rapid increase of home, commercial and utility solar panels.
The power output of a solar panel typically increase gradually from zero in the early morning when the sun rises, to a peak power at around noon, and then gradually reduces back to zero by late afternoon after the sun sets. On a clear sunny day, the power output can follow a smooth bell shape curve, following the path of the sun on the sky. On a cloudy day, there will be changes in the sun intensity reaching the solar panel, resulting in a power output fluctuation. The power output fluctuation will be random, causing changes in the bell shape curve output.
The fluctuation of the power output can be present a challenge to the solar photovoltaic system, e.g., the solar panel and the transmission/inverter assembly. For example, if the fluctuation has a high frequency, such as a fraction of 1 Hz, e.g., a period of a few seconds, the solar photovoltaic system might not respond fast enough to convert the variations of the sun intensity into useable energy. The effect can be large for larger solar farms, resulting in a criterion for selecting solar farm locations is high sun intensity and minimal weather fluctuations.
What is therefore needed is a way to address the power fluctuation from outputs of solar panels. solar photovoltaic system.